The Charlevoix Downtown Development Authority (DDA) partnered with the City of Charlevoix Electric Fund to usher in a new era of Downtown tree lighting in 2007. The DDA and Electric Fund split the costs of purchasing 107,000 new energy efficient light emitting diode, or LED, tree lights for the 71 trees located on both sides of Bridge Street between Dixon Avenue and Hurlbut Street. The move towards LED tree lights was prompted by suggestions from Charlevoix residents Mary Adams and Paul Weston.

Several benefits associated with the switch to LED tree lighting technology include:

• LED tree lights are rated for 100,000 hours of use while standard incandescent lights typically last for a maximum of 3,000 hours. Charlevoix’s current lighting program requires the replacement of incandescent light strings every two years.
• LED tree lights are eco-friendly and use less than 10 percent of the electricity required to power traditional incandescent lights. The switch from incandescent lights will save thousands of dollars in energy costs annually.
• LED tree lights always remain cool to the touch. Because tree lighting is often used in close proximately to combustible materials this feature can greatly reduce the risk of fires.

While LED lights cost more to purchase, savings are estimated on Downtown Charlevoix’s tree lighting program in just three years primarily due to energy savings and eliminating the need to replace all of the incandescent light strings every two years. And while previous lighting practices have included lighting Downtown’s trees in late November through the end of January, the acquisition of LED lighting allows the lighting schedule to expand practically year-round during the evening hours.